Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 20) — A lawmaker on Monday said a complaint may be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman to hold the government agencies concerned accountable following the massive oil spill caused by MT Princess Empress’ sinking in Oriental Mindoro.
“Under present laws, negligence on the part of government officials would be a criminal act, and therefore a complaint can be filed before the Ombudsman and possibly elevated to the Sandiganbayan,” House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources chairman Elpidio Barzaga Jr. told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
The House of Representatives, to be led by Barzaga’s committee, is scheduled to look into the cause of the oil spill, which has already reached Verde Island in Batangas City, in May.
Aside from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), among the resource persons to be invited in the hearings are the captain and crew of the tanker, the lawmaker noted.
Barzaga said lawmakers want to establish the reason behind the incident and to confirm if the tanker was indeed carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil or more.
While the Department of Justice (DOJ) is tasked to file the appropriate complaints, lawmakers may impose amendments to existing laws to prevent a similar incident in the future, he added.
Barzaga said among the amendments being considered are adding penalties for government agencies involved in issuing permits to tankers, steps in establishing the criminal liability of owners of tankers involved in oil spills, ensuring that there is adequate insurance secured before a vessel sails, and imposing an indemnity bond in case another oil spill happens.
The DOJ is currently conducting its own probe after it was revealed that MT Princess Empress was allowed by the PCG and MARINA to sail despite having permit issues.
Citing the DOJ, Barzaga also noted that the sunken tanker was a rebuilt scrap ship.
“It was actually intended as a liquified gas carrier and then reworked to be a motor tanker,” Barzaga noted. “There is negligence on the part of the owners and also on the part of the government agencies kung bakit hinyaang tumakbo ‘to (why this was allowed to sail).”
Latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed that more than 149,000 individuals have been affected, and 189 residents got sick due to the oil spill.
